1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a mold for the formation of seat cushions and particularly for forming a cushion for an upholstered chair seat or the like using a mold having an elastic sheet.
2. Description of the Prior Art and Objectives of the Invention
Polyurethane foam and other resilient materials have been used for seat cushions for many years in the upholstered furniture industry. Foam blocks of various dimensions and densities are cut then covered with fabric to form seat cushions for sofas, chairs and other furniture. Additionally, chair and sofa frames are likewise often partially wrapped with resilient foam prior to covering with a selected fabric to achieve the desired contours and appearance. In the cost conscious furniture industry, it has lately been the practice to preassemble foam covered components at various shops which are then assembled at a central plant to expedite the manufacturing process. For example, upholstered chair manufacturers may contract through xe2x80x9coutsidexe2x80x9d sources to purchase a partial chair seat assembly consisting of a wooden base having a contoured foam block glued thereto. The furniture maker, after receiving this partial seat assembly, covers it with a fabric and subsequently attaches it to a finished chair frame. A large number of such partial seat assemblies may be kept on hand by the furniture manufacturer so changes to the fabric type or style can be quickly made depending on the customer""s needs. While such partial seat assemblies can be made to exact standards, concerns and uniformity problems arise as the partial seat assembly is subject to an individual upholsterer""s ability to correctly tension and attach the fabric cover and any additional layers prior to fixing the fabric cover thereto. The final steps in the chair production are subject to the particular craftsman""s skills and oftentimes, by applying too little or too much manual pressure during attachment of the fabric covering, an unacceptable product results. This oftentimes occurs along the upper contours and crown at the top of the seat.
With the known disadvantages and problems associated with the prior art seat cushion assemblies, the present invention was conceived and one of its objectives is to provide a distortable seat cushion mold that will allow a manufacturer to produce an attractive, uniform and consistent seat on each chair manufactured.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a seat cushion that will allow the upholsterer ease and convenience in covering the cushion.
It is still another objective of the present invention to provide a seat cushion that has no unsightly underlines and one that is contoured evenly throughout.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a method for forming a seat cushion in which a plurality of synthetic foam components are attached to a rigid base to form a smooth, even crown.
It is still another objective of the present invention to provide a method for forming a seat cushion whereby a distortable seat cushion mold is used to insure uniformity in the crown.
It is also another objective of the present invention to provide a seat cushion from the process as described above.
Various other objectives and advantages of the present invention become apparent to those skilled in the art as a more detailed presentation of the invention is set forth below.
The invention herein pertains to a seat cushion mold, a method for using the mold to form a cushion for a chair seat or the like and the product formed therefrom. The mold includes an elastic sheet which is distortable downwardly into a concave shape. The method of forming the cushion comprises contacting at least one foam block by a rigid planar base. Next, a thin foam layer is positioned over the foam block. The planar base, the contacted foam block and the thin foam layer are then positioned, foam layer side down, atop a mold with an elastic sheet and are pressed downwardly into the elastic sheet by, for example, a hydraulic press, which compresses the foam block into a convex mound within the now stretched, concave elastic sheet. The thin foam layer is then urged against the edges of the planar base while the thin foam layer is being adhesively attached to the base. Afterwards, the extending ends of the thin foam layer are trimmed and a seat cushion is thereby provided which can be upholstered with a desired fabric for later installation into a chair frame.